So there was a story from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman over the weekend, with which I’m having a bit of difficulty. 9 to 5 Mac highlights the story, which has Gurman saying Apple’s not building a metaverse for the mixed reality headset many (and plenty more) expect Apple to announce this year. “Here’s one word I’d be shocked to hear on stage when Apple announces its headset,” writes Gurman:
…metaverse. I’ve been told pretty directly that the idea of a completely virtual world where users can escape to — like they can in Meta Platforms/Facebook’s vision of the future — is off limits from Apple.
According to the report:
…Apple’s focus is said to be on a mixed reality headset that is used for “bursts of gaming, communication and content consumption,” but it will not be “an all-day device.”
Hold up - wait a minute: Who thought Apple was going to make its own metaverse? Apple thrives on the app economy. Sure, it made its own video streamer, its own bookstore, its own music service - it barely makes its own games (“Texas Hold ‘em,” and is there another?) and hasn’t tried a social network since Ping, unless I’m forgetting something, which is very possible.
As for not thinking about it as “an all-day device,” isn’t that going to be determined by the apps developers build for it and the services people sell through it?
I have no problem believing Apple’s not going to make its own metaverse. So little problem, I have trouble seeing this story as a story.
